Cheryl Rainfield | |
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Born | Toronto, Ontario, Canada | 19 August 1972
Occupation | Novelist |
Period | 2006-Present |
Genre | Children's and young adult fiction |
Website | |
www |
Cheryl Rainfield (born August 19, 1972) is a Canadian novelist, short story writer, and TikToker.
Rainfield was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. [1] She was raised in a cult with beliefs drawing from "white supremacy, antisemitism, homophobia and misogyny". [2] While in the cult, she was subject to psychological, ritual, and sexual abuse (including incest). [1] [2] She battled with abuse by reading numerous books, and by writing and creating art during her early life which opened doors for her as an escape. [1]
Rainfield ran away from home at age 17. She was later diagnosed with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), attributed to her childhood trauma. [2]
Rainfield speaks about her experiences of abuse on TikTok. [2]
She is an active feminist and a lesbian. Her favourite pastime is reading. She is a passionate reader, and enjoys writing and creating art. She lives with her dog, Petal, and her cat, Amazon. She currently resides in Toronto, Ontario. [1]
She has been involved with the Regular Children's/YA Critique Group for more than 11 years. She volunteers at CANSCAIP (Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers). She completed an editing course at George Brown College in 1999 that covered proofreading, copy editing, and substantive editing.[ citation needed ]
Scars is a novel about Kendra, a lesbian teen who was sexually abused but doesn't remember who abused her. As her abuser starts leaving her threatening messages, Kendra uses self-harm, as well as art and therapy, to cope. Kendra is aware that she copes with her emotional pain through self-harm and tries to seek help through a therapist. [3]
Rainfield wrote the first draft of Scars in a few short months, and edited the book for over ten years, revising it more than forty times before it was accepted for publication by WestSide Books. [4] She based Scars on some of her personal life experiences. [2] [5] Rainfield wrote the book in order to speak out about self-harm, sexual abuse, and being a queer teen, and to help others who've been through those experiences to know that they are not alone, and to encourage greater compassion and understanding in people who don't have those experiences. [6] For the launching of the book, she partnered with the Toronto Rape Crisis Centre, which she used as a help line when she was a teen. [4] Rainfield donates a portion of all her earnings from Scars to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network) and the TRCC (Toronto Rape Crisis Centre). [1] The cover of the book is a photo of Rainfield's scarred forearms. [6] [2]
The Healer is a compilation of 14 different horror stories. Like most anthologies it contains a variety of stories. Its sequel, The Horrors: Terrifying Tales: Book Two, is also an anthology. The stories ranges from the proverbial babysitter gone mad to the necrophilia fairy tale with a twist. The one thread that weaves itself through this collection of stories is teenage angst. Each story deals with an aspect of teen life and teen fears. [3]
Comfort Food is a collection of horror stories by twenty three writers and seven artists. The common denominator is anything fast food related, and the ensemble runs the gamut from zombie delicacies to child hungry playgrounds. [8]
Manning, the evil Lord rules through fear and magic over the fallen kingdom in the year 1144. The only hope seems to lie in the prophecy that a dragon speaker will appear to save the people. Jacob, a small young man is an unlikely hero. He walks with a limp and is the only one that can speak to the dragons. When the last dragon returns he is the only one that can communicate with her. Jacob and his friends Orson and Lia must rescue the egg of the world's last dragon. This is a hi-lo (high interest, low vocabulary) book for reluctant teen readers published by High Interest Publishing (HIP Books). [1]
Claire and her cousin Kelsey are hunting and Kelsey ends up shooting a deer Skinwalker. They soon find themselves captured by Skinwalkers seeking revenge. When angry villagers attack the Skinwalker camp, Claire finds herself in a difficult situation and with the need to choose a side. This is a hi-lo (high interest, low vocabulary) book for reluctant teen readers published by High Interest Publishing (HIP Books). [1]
Hunted is a paranormal fantasy/dystopian book about Caitlyn, a teen telepath in a world where paranormal powers are illegal. Caitlyn is on the run from government troopers. Whet Caitlyn falls for Alex, a Normal, and discovers dangerous renegade Paranormals, Caitlyn must decide between staying in hiding to protect herself, or taking a stand to save the world. [1] Rainfield drew on her abuse experiences (and specifically ritual abuse and torture) to write Hunted, [9] just as she did with Scars.
Cheryl Rainfield uses darker subject matter for her novels about teenage life, drawing from experiences she faced as a teenager and ones that many young adults may have confronted in their lives. Her stories also deal with themes of inner strength, self acceptance, and love in the face of extreme emotional conditions. [1]
Rainfield has also been reviewed in many blogs, newspapers, and magazines such as the Torontoist . She has made public appearances on Daytime Toronto (TV) and on the radio. [1]
She was a finalist for the 2010 Governor General's Literary Awards for Scars, which was also a nominee for the 2011 American Library Association (ALA) Stonewall Book Award, [10] and was #1 on YALSA's 2011 Top 10 Quick Picks for Reluctant Readers, [11] and was on ALA's 2011 Rainbow Project List. [1]
Sweep is a series of young adult fantasy novels written by Cate Tiernan, the first of which, Book of Shadows, was published in 2001. The series follows a teenage girl, Morgan Rowlands, who discovers she is the descendant of a long line of witches, and possesses powerful magic of her own.
Eragon is the first book in The Inheritance Cycle by American fantasy writer Christopher Paolini. Paolini, born in 1983, began writing the novel after graduating from home school at the age of fifteen. After writing the first draft for a year, Paolini spent a second year rewriting and fleshing out the story and characters. His parents saw the final manuscript and in 2001 decided to self-publish Eragon; Paolini spent a year traveling around the United States promoting the novel. The book was discovered by novelist Carl Hiaasen, who brought it to the attention of Alfred A. Knopf. The re-published version was released on August 26, 2003.
Gossip Girl is an American young adult novel series written by Cecily von Ziegesar and published by Little, Brown and Company, a subsidiary of the Hachette Group. The series revolves around the lives and romances of the privileged socialite teenagers at the Constance Billard School for Girls, an elite private school in New York City's Upper East Side. The books primarily focus on best friends Blair Waldorf and Serena van der Woodsen, whose experiences are among those chronicled by the eponymous gossip blogger. The novel series is based on the author's experiences at Nightingale-Bamford School and on what she heard from friends.
Diana E. H. Russell was a feminist writer and activist. Born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa, she moved to England in 1957, and then to the United States in 1961. For the past 45 years she was engaged in research on sexual violence against women and girls. She wrote numerous books and articles on rape, including marital rape, femicide, incest, misogynist murders of women, and pornography. For The Secret Trauma, she was co-recipient of the 1986 C. Wright Mills Award. She was also the recipient of the 2001 Humanist Heroine Award from the American Humanist Association. She was also an organizer of the First International Tribunal on Crimes against Women, in Brussels in March 1976.
Skinwalker Ranch, previously known as Sherman Ranch, is a property of approximately 512 acres (207 ha), located southeast of Ballard, Utah, that is reputed to be the site of paranormal and UFO-related activities. Its name is taken from the skin-walker of Navajo legend concerning vengeful shamans.
Beastly is a 2007 novel by Alex Flinn. It is a retelling of the fairytale Beauty and the Beast set in modern-day New York City from the view of the beast. Flinn researched many versions of the Beauty and the Beast story to write her book. Many of these are playfully alluded to in portions of the book, particularly the chat room transcripts in which the character of Kyle talks to other teens who have been transformed into creatures.
Alexandra Flinn is an American writer of novels for young adults. Her books have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller lists and have been translated into over twenty foreign languages. Many of her books have made the American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults lists, as well as Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers. Many of her novels are modernized versions of classic fairy tales.
Sharon Mills Draper is an American children's writer, professional educator, and the 1997 National Teacher of the Year. She is a two-time winner of the Coretta Scott King Award for books about the young and adolescent African-American experience. She is known for her Hazelwood and Jericho series, Copper Sun,Double Dutch, Out of My Mind and Romiette and Julio.
Cheryl Strayed is an American writer and podcast host. She has written four books: the novel Torch (2006) and the nonfiction books Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail (2012), Tiny Beautiful Things (2012) and Brave Enough (2015). Wild, the story of Strayed's 1995 hike up the Pacific Crest Trail, is an international bestseller and was adapted into the 2014 Academy Award-nominated film Wild.
Lynsay Sands is a Canadian author of over 80 books. She is noted for the humor she injects into her stories. While she writes both historical and paranormal romance novels, she is best known for her Argeneau series about a modern family of vampires.
Coe Booth is an American fiction writer. Her first novel, Tyrell, was released in 2006. It is written for young adolescents.
Richelle Mead is an American fantasy author. She is known for the Georgina Kincaid series, Vampire Academy, Bloodlines and the Dark Swan series.
Lisa McMann is an American author and the creator of The Unwanteds and The Unwanteds Quests series for young readers and the WAKE trilogy for young adults.
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The Skin I'm In is a realistic fiction novel written by Sharon G. Flake. It was published by Hyperion Books on January 3, 2000. It depicts the story of seventh-grader Maleeka Madison who has low self-esteem because of her dark brown skin color. The novel's themes include self-love, self-esteem, the power of friendship, bullying and body image. The anniversary edition was released in October 2018. In 2021, Sharon Flake published a sister novel, The Life I'm In, following the character Charlese Jones.
Paranormalcy is a series of young adult urban fantasy novels by American author Kiersten White, beginning with the inaugural entry of the same name. The story focuses on a girl named Evie, a member of a special international police force assigned to paranormal cases. As the tale progresses, Evie's professional duties begin to conflict with her growing desire for a normal life.
Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail is the 2012 memoir by the American writer, author, and podcaster Cheryl Strayed. The memoir describes Strayed's 1,100-mile hike on the Pacific Crest Trail in 1995 as a journey of self-discovery. The book reached No. 1 on the New York Times Best Seller list, and was the first selection for Oprah's Book Club 2.0.
Kami Garcia is an American writer. She is known for writing young adult fiction and graphic novels for DC Comics.
Sam Maggs is a Canadian-American author of books, comics and video games, and is known especially for her work on The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy, Marvel Action: Captain Marvel, and Rick and Morty: Ever After.